exhiliarating “At first it’s exhilarating: the speed, the sharp, clear air; but then the snow accumulates, builds up on the runners, and you slow, you have to push hard to keep going…” stimulating; exciting

obsolete “Climate control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn’t a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness. no longer useful

conveyance “And hills too,” he added. “They made conveyance of goods unwieldy. Trucks, busses…slowed them down.” delivery

admonition Jonas listened. He was very aware of his own admonition to not discuss his training. But it would have been impossible, anyway. There was no way to describe what he had experienced there in the Annex room. warning against fault

phenomenon Jonas told him about the experience with the apple. Then the moment on the stage, when he had looked out and seen the same phenomenon in the faces of the crowd. a rare or significant fact or event

mutilated Now he saw another elephant emerge from the place where it had stood hidden in the trees. Very slowly it walked to the mutilated body and looked down. destroyed

Sinuous With its sinuous trunk it [the elephant] stroked the huge corpse; then it reached up, broke some leafy branches with a snap, and draped them over the mass of torn, thick flesh. of a wavy form; winding

Writhing Then suddenly, he was in the Annex room again, writhing on the bed. His face was wet with tears. twists into coils or folds

Assuage It was not enough to assuage the pain that Jonas was beginning, now, to know. to ease the pain

Ominous Now it was ominous. It meant, he knew, that nothing could be changed. foreshadowing evil

Placidly “After all this extra time I’ve put in with him,” Father said one evening after Gabriel had been bathed and was lying, for the moment, placidly in the small crib that had replaced the basket. peaceful; free of disturbance

contorted The Giver looked up at him, his face contorted with suffering. “Please,” he gasped, “take some of the pain.” twist or bend out of shape

immobilized One of Jonas’s arms was immobilized with pain, and he could see through his own torn sleeve something that looked like ragged flesh and splintery bone. made unable to move

ecstatic In one ecstatic memory he had ridden a gleaming brown horse across a field that smelled of damp grass, and had dismounted beside a small stream from which both he and the horse drank cold, clear water. Really excited

Permeated And his new, heightened feelings permeated a greater realm than simply his sleep. To spread or flow throughout

luminous The Giver chuckled ruefully. “The explanations are difficult. The whole thing is so beyond one’s experience. But I tried. And she listened carefully. Her eyes were very luminous, I remember.” giving off light

imploringly “I had to Jonas. It was my job. And she had been chosen.” The Giver looked at him imploringly. to plead or beg

astonished Jonas watched the video screen above the row of switches. Its blank face began to flicker with zig-zag lines; then some numbers appeared, followed by the date and time. He was astonished and delighted that this was available to him, and surprised he had not known. surprised

empowered “What about you? Do you lie to me too?” Jonas almost spat the question at The Giver. “I am empowered to lie. But I have never lied to you.” to give powers or ability to

rueful The Giver gave a rueful, anguished, empty laugh. “Jonas, you and I are the only ones who have feelings. We’ve been sharing them now for almost a year.” feeling or expressing sorrow

meticulously But that evening everything changed. All of it – all the things they had thought through so meticulously-fell apart. excessive care in details

stealthily It was terribly dangerous because some of the work crews were still about, but he moved stealthily and silently, staying in the shadows…. moving in a quiet or secretive way

exquisite During his twelve years in the community, he had never felt such simple moments of exquisite happiness. intricate and beautiful

tantalizing He tried to use the flagging power of his memory to recreate meals, and managed brief, tantalizing fragments: banquets with huge roasted meats, birthday parties with thick-frosted cakes; …. tempting

agonizingly The memory was agonizingly brief. He had trudged no more than a few yards throughout the night when it was gone and they were cold again. to be in great suffering or pain